Recently, I watched a most interesting performance of Sadir. It was a
first for me. The fact that it was Bharatanatyam, but the performance
very different from what a regular Bharatanatyam recital looks like,
made me want to understand more about the research that goes into the
production. Swarnamalya Ganesh is a dancer, who has been researching not
just Bharatanatyam pieces to be performed, but also the dance itself -
how it was influenced by cultural and political changes, who practised
it, their lives and society, and the more secular repertoire that said a
lot about all of this. Here is an interview about a recent performance
in Delhi called When Stories Take Form, in which she presented stories
about the settings and audience for Bharatanatyam - or Sadir - during
the colonial rule in the Madras Presidency.

Please tell us a little about the performance and how you develop the content.
The performance was based on Sadir, and I had the experience of learning
from hereditary community artists. I was also prodding towards
understanding Bharatanatyam from the point of view of Sadir. Which is
why we renamed my performance and practice over a decade ago as Sadir,
and not Bharatanatyam, because I felt that the context of the dance is
as important as its content. Sometimes, I might be reconstructing or
reviving certain repertoires. 'When Stories Take Form' originated from
the idea that there are so many interesting tales that are hidden behind
every single piece that we perform. However, when we see a performance,
it only allows you to think about the meaning of the songs, the ragas
used. We do not think of the stories behind them and the lives of the
people performing them. It was in that context that I thought it would
be interesting to showcase the stories behind each of these dances,
thereby building the larger narrative for what this dance form itself
was.

How about the research for the production - did you do it over a period of time, and did you take somebody's help?This work and research has been a part of my doctoral and post-doctoral
work. So, looking at the times and going back to archival work,
theoretically and practically, the content and the research, and
reviving the repertoire, was by me. As for this performance, for some
aspects like clarifying something, the meaning of some song, I did seek
help, but the larger part of the research was done by me.

What was the importance of the period and the British influence at that time in structuring the culture of dance?
If we are looking at the late 18th century and 19th century, we are
looking at a strong colonial presence, and I have focused on the Madras
Residency. It is very interesting to look at a story from the
perspective of where it was set. Politically and geographically, it was
located in the Madras Residency and within the Madras Residency also,
under the colonial influence. What happened to Sadir at that time - that
scenario makes a very engaging narrative. The more I thought of it, the
more I realized that when you think of a Devadasi, you think only of
the temple, but you realize that outside the temple, they have a very
strong social presence. It is interesting to showcase a time where you
see the transition from the temple to more urban spaces, more
metropolitan spaces, and what happened to the dance and the dancer in
the process.

Kathak, which was essentially a kathakar tradition, under the Mughals
and British it came to be seen as a courtesan's profession. Did this
kind of influence affect Sadir under British rule?
Historically, the British - the East India Company and the Crown - had
very little opinion about the performing arts. Performing arts was
something connected to the indigenous natives. That's about it. The
policy was not to interfere in the local culture. However, because of
the missionary movement and the influence of British culture and their
'ideas and morality', over time, there came to be opinion about what
these art forms represented or what values they held. That debate took
place a little later. But in the early times, which I was talking about
in the production, they were still consuming it as part of Indian
culture, the local culture. So much of it was observed and even
documented by them, and of course, an opinion was given, but that
opinion was not to have any political or social effect, at least not
until after 1910.

The last piece you performed, the salute, was very interesting.
Yes, it was part of my research, a revised composition from one of the
traditional repertoires of the devadasis. It was taught to me by my
teacher in Viralimalai, performed during the temple festival. The
gestures etc. were all by the devadasis themselves, so it shows how
progressive they were.

Contact Swarnamalya Ganesh at: swarnamalya@gmail.com

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